nounEtymology: Middle English pharise, from Old English farise, from Late Latin pharisaeus, from Greek pharisaios, from Aramaic pĕrīshayyā, plural of pĕrīshā, literally, separatedDate: before 12th century1.capitalized a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law
2. a pharisaical person

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Pharisee — Phar i*see (f[a^]r [i^]*s[=e]), n. [L. Pharisaeus, Gr. Farisai^os, from Heb. p[=a]rash to separate.] One of a sect or party among the Jews, noted for a strict and formal observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Pharisee — ► NOUN 1) a member of an ancient Jewish sect noted for their strict observance of the traditional and written law. 2) a self righteous or hypocritical person. DERIVATIVES Pharisaic adjective Pharisaical adjective. ORIGIN Greek Pharisaios, from an … English terms dictionary

pharisee — UK [ˈfærɪsiː] / US [ˈferəˌsɪ] noun [countable] Word forms pharisee : singular pharisee plural pharisees 1) Pharisee a member of an ancient Jewish religious group who believed that people should obey religious laws in a strict way 2) someone who… … English dictionary

Pharisee — noun a) A member of a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 –70 ). The movement was ultimately the basis for most contemporary forms of Judaism. The spider fattens … Wiktionary

pharisee — phar|i|see [ ferə,si ] noun count 1. ) Pharisee a member of an ancient Jewish religious group who believed that people should obey religious laws in a strict way 2. ) someone who pretends to be very religious or moral, but is not … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

pharisee — noun (C) 1 someone who pretends to be religious or to be concerned about morals 2 Pharisee a member of a group of Jews who lived at the time of Christ and who believed in strictly obeying religious laws pharisaic adjective … Longman dictionary of contemporary English